Tractor



J. JESSEN.

TRACTOR. APPLICATION FILED 00T. 20. 1917.

Patented May 18, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Mns/5555 7M MESSEN.

TRACTOR. APPLICATION FILED 0CT.20| 1917. l Patented May 18, 1920.

v2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WHA/55,155 7m narran STATES PATENT onirica.

JAMES J ESSEN, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO THE LINE DRIVE TRACTOR, INC., OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF SOUTH DAKOTA.

TRACTOR.

Application filed October 20, 1917.

To all lw/wm it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMns JEssEN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State ot lllisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Tractors, of which the Jfollowing is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this speciiication.

The invention relates to tractors.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a new and improved form of tractor frame.

Another object .of the invention is to provide a connection between the rear supporting wheels and the frame of such a character as to allow swinging movement of the wheels with respect to the frame so that the tractor may proceed over uneven ground.

ll'vith these and other objects in view the invention consists in the several features hereinafter set forth.

ln the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the device embodying the Ainvention, parts being broken away and parts being shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken through the tongue member, revoluble sleeve, and sleeve stop showing the position oi' the rear supporting wheels under conditions hereinafter described;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 6 is a section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a detail View oi supporting yoke for the rear wheels. n

In general the device comprises front tractor wheels 8, rear supporting wheels v9, a main :trame mounted upon the front wheels, a rearwardly extending tongue 16, and means for supporting the rear wheels to allow swinging movement of the rear wheels when the tractor is running over uneven ground.

The main frame comprises similar side frame members 10 having laterally extending axles 11 integral therewith upon which the tractor wheels 8 are mounted, transverse frame members 12, 13 and 14 bolted or otherwise secured to the members 10 to Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1920.

seriai No. 197,575.

form a rigid construction, and an arcshaped channel frame member 15 bolted or otherwise suitably secured to the :trame members 10.

The rearwardly extending tubular tongue 16 is pivotally secured to the transverse trame member 14 by means of a tongue fitting 17 and a king bolt 18 passing through the ends 17 of said fitting and through the Yframe member 14 whereby the angularrelation between the rigid portions of the irame and the tongue may be changed to assist in steering the tractor.

To properly guide and support the tongue 16 in swinging about the. king bolt 18 an arc-shaped fitting 19 is mounted upon the tongue 16 at its central portion and secured near its ends to arms 2O integral with the itting 17, said arc-shaped iitting carrying spaced apart guide rollers 21 which run in the channel frame member 15. A segmental rack 22 used in steering is also Jformed in the fitting 19 and is designed to be operated through mechanism shown and described in my copending application Serial No. 202,125, iled Nov. 15, 1917.

The transverse members 12 and 14 carry the engine 23 shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 and other operative parts of tractor driving and controlling mechanism not shown. rFhe side frame members 10 have bearings 24 for receiving a drive shaft, not shown which is connected by gearing, not shown, to drive the tractor wheels 8.

The means for supporting the rear wheels 9 comprise a frame member 25 having a bore 26 therein into which the rearward portion of the tongue 16 fits so that said fitting may be moved to different positions along the tongue and so that it may swing about the tongue, and a yoke 27 pivotally mounted upon member 25 and having axles 28 integral therewith upon which the Wheels 9 are mounted.

The member 25 has a rearwardly extending projection 29 apertured to `form a draw bar hitch and, to provide for vertical adjustment ofthis hitch, the arms 30 of the yoke 27 are provided with a plurality of alined sets of apertures 31. A bolt 32 passes through alined apertures 33 on lugs 34 o' the membei1 25 and through any one set of alined apertures 31, a lever 35 being secured to the yoke to assist in raising it for changes in vertical adjustment.

lith the construction thus tar described it will be noted that the frame member which carries the yoke 27 and the wheels 9 may swing about the tongue 16 so that when the tractor is proceeding over uneven ground and either one of the front wheels are raised the rear wheels 9 will remain on the ground under ordinary conditions.

Under unusual conditions as where one of the front wheels meets with an obstruction which tends to swing the tractor around with the rear wheels tending to slide over the ground and one of said rear wheels meets with an obstruction whereby the rear wheels are tipped up, as shown in F ig. 3, it is necessary to limit this tilting movement of the rear wheels. rihis is accomplished by forming alined slots 36 in the member '25 and providing a yoke 37 the curved ends 38 of which are secured to the tongue 16 by bolts 39 passing through said encs and through any one of sets of apertures i0 in the tongue, the ends 38 being of less length than the width of the slots 36 so as to provide a limited swinging movement of the member 25 about the tongue, the ends 38 serving as stops. In addition to serving as stops the ends 38 being secured to the tongue 16 and disposed within the slots 36 serve to secure the member 25 in diterent .,n. L, positions of adjustment along the lengte or the tongue, the position of the member being varied by moving the member 25 along the tongue to bring the bolts 39 into register with different sets of apertures fir-0.

A seat support al is secured to the yoke 87 and carries a seat 42 and a foot rest d3 is secured upon the top of the member Vith this construction it will be noted that I have provided a simple and substantial frame for `the tractor and that provision is made for maintaining all four wheels of the tractor upon the ground when proceeding over ordinary obstructions or unevenness of soil and that under unusual conditions the vertical swinging movement of the rear wheels about the main frame is limited and the drivers seat is independent of the swinging of the rear wheels.

I am aware that the details of construction herein shown and described are capable of some variations and change and I desire it to be understood that such changes in construction as come within the scope of the appended claims are within the spirit of my invention.

Vhat I claim as my invention is:

l. In a tractor, the combination, with the front tractor wheels and main frame, of a rearwardly extending tongue pivotally secured to said frame, rear tongue-supporting wheels, a member swingingly mounted upon the tongue, means for limiting the swinging Vmovement of said member, a yoke secured to said member and carrying said wheels, and means for adjusting the position of said yoke with respect to said membert'o vary the height or' the rear end of the tongue from the ground.

2. In a tractor, the combination, with the front tractor wheels and main frame, of a rearwardly extending tongue pivotally secured to said frame, rear tongue-supporting wheels, a member swingingly mounted upon the tongue, means for limiting the swinging movement of said member, a yoke pivotally secured at its transverse portion to said member and having axles integr-ai with its arms upon which said rear wheels are mounted, and means for securing said yoke to said member in different positions of vcrtical adjustment.

3. In a tractor, the combination, with the iront tractor wheels and main frame, of a rearwardly extending tongue pivotally secured at its front end to said frame, a sleeve revolubly mounted on said tongue and provided with slots, a member secured to said tongue and having parts disposed in said slots to limit the swinging movement ot' said sleeve, and rear wheels carried by said sleeve.

4. In a tractor, the combination, with the main frame and tractor wheels therefor, of

a tongue connected at one end to said frame, a sleeve mounted on said tongue near its other end and capable of a swinging movement with respect thereto, a second sleeve fixed to said tongue and cooperating with the other sleeve to limit its swinging movement, a yoke member carried by the sleeve capable of swinging movement, and supporting wheels carried by said yoke member.

5. In a tractor, the combination, with the front tractor wheels and main frame, of a rearwardly extending tongue pivotally secured to said frame, rear tongue-supporting wheels, a yoke connected with said tongue and Vcarrying said wheels, said yoke being free at all times to have a limited swinging movement with respect to said rearwardly extending tongue,and means for adjusting the position of said yoke to vary the height of the rear end of the tongue from the ground. i

In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

JAMES JESSEN. 

